Side-by-side all terrain vehicle

ABSTRACT

A side by side vehicle is disclosed having a vehicle frame having frame tubes extending from a front to a rear. A vehicle seat frame is positioned in a mid portion of the frame, and positions a seat frame at a raised position relative to the frame tubes. A powertrain is positioned rearward of the vehicle seat frame and is coupled to the vehicle frame. Side by side seats are supported by the seat frame; and one or more storage units are positioned under the side by side seats. The side by side vehicle also has a rear suspension comprising at least one rear alignment arm coupled to each side of a rear of the vehicle frame, where the alignment arms are coupled to the vehicle frame at front and rear connection points. A distance between the front connection points is greater than a distance between the rear connection points, and at least a portion of the powertrain is positioned between the front connection points of the alignment arms.

The subject application claims priority to U.S. Utility application Ser.No. 13/370,139, titled SIDE BY SIDE ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE, filed Feb. 9,2012 which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser.No. 61/442,071 filed Feb. 11, 2011, the subject matter and priority ofboth of which are incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY

The subject disclosure is generally related to side by side all terrainvehicles.

Generally, all terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) and utility vehicles (“UVs”)are used to carry one or two passengers and a small amount of cargo overa variety of terrains. Due to increasing recreational interest in sideby side vehicles, such as those used for trail riding, recreational use,and cargo hauling have entered the market place.

Most side by side vehicles include seating for two to three passengers.Side-by-side vehicles, in which the driver and passenger are seatedbeside each other on laterally spaced apart seats, have become popularbecause of the ability to allow the passenger to share the driver'sviewpoint and riding experience instead of being positioned behind thedriver. Two styles of vehicle are known in the marketplace; a firstsportive version is known where the driver sits low in the vehicle, andone such vehicle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,220 (and counterpartEP2057060), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein byreference. The second version has the driver seated higher in thevehicle, and one such vehicle is shown in US patent applicationpublication number 20090301830, the subject matter of which isincorporated herein by reference.

In one embodiment described herein, a side by side vehicle is disclosedhaving a vehicle frame having frame tubes extending from a front to arear. A vehicle seat frame is positioned in a mid portion of the frame,and positions a seat frame at a raised position relative to the frametubes. A powertrain is positioned rearward of the vehicle seat frame andis coupled to the vehicle frame. Side by seats are supported by the seatframe; and one or more storage units are positioned under the side byside seats.

In another embodiment, a side by side vehicle comprises a vehicle framehaving frame tubes extending from a front to a rear. A vehicle seatframe is positioned in a mid portion of the frame, and positions a seatframe at a raised position relative to the frame tubes. A powertrain ispositioned rearward of the vehicle seat frame and is coupled to thevehicle frame. Side by side seats are supported by the seat frame. Arear suspension comprising at least one rear alignment arm is coupled toeach side of a rear of the vehicle frame, where the alignment arms arecoupled to the vehicle frame at front and rear connection points. Adistance between the front connection points is greater than a distancebetween the rear connection points, and at least a portion of thepowertrain is positioned between the front connection points of thealignment arms.

In another embodiment, a side by side vehicle comprises a vehicle frame,a vehicle seat frame positioned in a mid portion of the frame, andpositioned at a raised position relative to the frame tubes. Apowertrain is positioned rearward of the vehicle seat frame and iscoupled to the vehicle frame. Side by side seats are supported by theseat frame and one or more storage units positioned under the side byside seats. A rear suspension has at least one first connection point tothe frame, wherein at least a portion of the powertrain is positionedrearward of the first connection point.

In another embodiment, a side by side vehicle comprises a vehicle frame;and a vehicle seat frame positioned in a mid portion of the frame, withthe seat frame at a raised position relative to the frame tubes. Side byside seats are supported by the seat frame. A powertrain is positionedrearward of the vehicle seat frame and is supported by the vehicleframe. At least one storage unit is positioned under the side by sideseats; and the storage bin houses an electronic assembly of the vehicle.

In yet another embodiment, a side by side vehicle comprises a vehicleframe, side by side seats supported by the frame, a powertrain supportedby the vehicle frame; a cargo storage device supported by the frame, thestorage area device having apertures extending therethough; and tie downmembers extending through the apertures to an upper side of the cargostorage device, and coupled to an opposite side.

The embodiments will now be described by way of the drawings, where:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of the vehicle of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front left perspective view of the frame of the presentvehicle;

FIG. 3 is a right rear perspective view of the vehicle of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the frame of FIGS. 2-3;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear perspective view of the frame of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is an underside perspective view of the frame of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing removable frame components of theframe exploded away from the vehicle frame;

FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of a portion of the removable component;

FIG. 9 shows another portion of a removable component;

FIG. 10A shows a rear perspective view showing the engine and thetransmission positioned in the frame of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10B shows a top plan view showing the engine and the transmissionpositioned in the frame of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a rear perspective view of the rear suspension;

FIG. 12 shows a top view of the A-arms of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 shows a rear perspective view of the suspension assembly;

FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of a portion of the suspension of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 15 shows components positioned under the seat frame of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 shows a partially assembled vehicle showing chassis componentspositioned over the vehicle's seat frame;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the vehicle of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view through lines 18-18 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 19 shows a side view of the utility dump box;

FIG. 20 shows an underside perspective view of a side of the utilitydump box;

FIG. 21 shows integrated tie downs positioned in the utility dump box.

FIG. 22 is a left front perspective view of the roll cage attached tothe frame;

FIG. 23 is a left front perspective view of the roll cage;

FIG. 24 shows the roll cage of FIG. 23 in an exploded fashion;

FIG. 25 shows an enlarged view of the connection points of thecollapsible roll cage;

FIG. 26 shows a cross section of the roll cage showing the configurationof the components;

FIG. 27 shows a lateral cross section showing a cross sectionconfiguration of the lateral roll cage members;

FIG. 28 is a left front perspective view of the seating assembly of thepresent vehicle as assembled to the frame;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of the portion denoted in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a right front perspective view of the seating assembly ofFIG. 28;

FIG. 31 is a front view of the seating assembly of FIG. 28;

FIG. 32 is a left rear perspective view of the seating assembly of FIG.28;

FIG. 33 is an underside perspective view of the seating assembly removedfrom the vehicle;

FIG. 34 shows the seating assembly of FIG. 33 exploded from one another;

FIG. 35 shows the seat frame of the vehicle;

FIG. 36 shows an underside perspective view of the driver's seat; and

FIG. 37 shows a cross sectional view through lines 37-37 of FIG. 36.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, the utility vehicle is shown generally at 2 toinclude a frame 4 supported by front wheels 6 and rear wheels 8. Utilityvehicle 2 includes a front end 10 having a hood 12, bumper 14 and sidebody panel 16. Utility vehicle 2 also includes a rear end 20 having autility cargo box 22 as described further herein. Utility vehicle 2 alsoincludes an operator area at 30 comprising a bench seat assembly 32having a driver's seat 34, a passenger seat 36 and a center passengerseat at 38. Operator controls such as a steering wheel is provided at40. A roll cage 42 surrounds the entire operator area 30.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 through 6, the frame will be described ingreater detail. With reference first to FIG. 2, frame 4 generallyincludes a frame front portion 50, a frame mid portion 52 and a framerear portion at 54. Central frame tubes 60 extend generally lengthwisebetween the front frame portion 50 and the rear frame portion 54 havinga front portion at 60 a and a flared out portion towards the rear at 60b. An outer frame tube member is provided at 62 which is connected toframe tube portion 60 a; by tube portion 62 a adjacent a front, andspaced apart from frame tube 60 b by frame tube portion 62 b. A crosstube such as 64 integrates the frame tubes 60 and 62 towards a center ofthe vehicle and frame channels 66 and 67 (FIG. 3) integrate the frametubes 60 and 62 adjacent a rear of the vehicle.

A removable frame portion 70 is attached to frame tube 62 by way ofbrackets 72, as further described herein. As shown best in FIG. 7,removable frame portion 70 has a lower frame portion 70 a, a verticallyupstanding portion at 70 b and an upper horizontally extending portion70 c. Removable frame portion 70 further includes gussets at 82 asdescribed herein. A transverse brace 80 extends between the two portions70 c. Frame 4 further includes a seat frame portion at 90 havingtransversely extending frame tubes at 92 and 94 supported by upstandingbraces 96 and diagonal braces 98. As shown best in FIG. 3, support posts100 upstand from frame tubes 62 and support a transverse beam 102.Transverse beam 102 is removable from post 100 and also includes anupper mounting area or flange at 104, as further described herein.

With respect now to FIGS. 4-6, a rear engine pan 110 is providedextending from channel 67 and frame tubes 60. Pan 110 defines thesupport platform for the drivetrain of the vehicle as will be describedherein. Vertically extending channels 120, 122 (FIGS. 5, 6) extend fromeach side of the pan 10 and define locations for mounting alignment arms(A-arms) as described herein. Vertically extending tubes 130 extendupwardly from pan 110 and support upper frame arms 132.

With respect now to FIGS. 7 and 8, frame 4 further includes an uppermounting flange 134 attached to diagonal tube 98 and a side tube 136(FIG. 8) extending between diagonal tube 98 and post 100. As shown inFIG. 8, transverse beam 102 is provided with a bracket 138 and a flange140, where flange 140 attaches to flange 134 and where bracket 138attaches to side tube 136 by way of fasteners as shown. As shown in FIG.9, removable frame portion 70 includes a bracket 142 attached tohorizontally extending portion 70 c which is removably attached totransverse brace 80 by way of fasteners as shown. Lower frame portion 70a is also attached to frame tube 62 by way of fasteners through brackets72 as shown.

With reference now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, engine 150 is shown mounted onpan 110 together with transmission 152. It should be noted that engine150 is of the type shown and described in assignee's Ser. No. 61/385,802filed Sep. 23, 2010, and corresponding PCT application PCT/US2011/52914;the subject matter of which are incorporated herein by reference.Transmission 152, the mounting of the engine 150 and transmission 152together, as well as the mounting of the engine 150 and the transmission152 to frame 4, is similar to that shown in either of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/849,480 or 12/849,516, both of which were filedon Aug. 3, 2010, and corresponding PCT application PCT/US2011/46395; thesubject matter of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As shown, an air intake 160 is shown which would be mounted to a coverwhich surrounds the roll cage 50.

A re-designed suspension is shown generally as 200 in FIGS. 11-14. Thesuspension is re-designed to provide a space for the engine andtransmission 150, 152 when the engine and transmission is mountedrearward of the seats as shown herein. More particularly, the rearsuspension is provided by upper alignment arms 202 and lower alignmentarms 204 whereby forward connections 206 of upper alignment arms 204 arespaced apart by a greater distance than their respective rearwardconnections 208; that is W₁>W₂ (FIG. 12). This provides a lateraldistance or width W₁ between the alignment arms which can receive thetransmission, or at least a portion of the powertrain, there between. Ina like manner, lower alignment arms 204 have forward connections 210spaced apart at a greater distance than lower connections 212.

As shown, both upper and lower alignment arms 202, 204 are rectangularin configuration, and connect to a hub 220 at a forward and outer cornerof the alignment arms. As shown in FIG. 12, the alignment arms extend atoblique angles Ø relative to a longitudinal axis L, and each of the hubs220 includes a spindle 222 which rotates along an axis X transverse tothe longitudinal axis L. As shown in FIG. 14, lower alignment arms 204further comprise a lower plate portion 230 which provides a bracket 232for both a shock absorber 240 and a mounting arm 242 of torsion bar 244.Torsion bar 244 is shown in FIGS. 10-13 rotationally mounted to upright130, and with torsion bar arms 246 extending forwardly. The location ofthe hubs 220 provides room for the shock absorbers 240 and mounting arm242 of the torsion bar 244, as best shown in FIG. 12.

With reference now to FIG. 15, due to the location of the enginerearward of the seat 32, the area beneath the seat frame 90 is nowavailable for other system components. As shown, fuel tank 260 is shownpositioned below the seat frame 90 with a filler tube 262 extending outfrom the driver's side and beyond the frame formed by frame tube 62 andpost 100. Battery 270 is shown positioned below a passenger side of theseat frame 90. Meanwhile an electronic assembly 280 is positioned belowthe center seat of frame 90, and the electronic assembly may comprise anengine control unit, a vehicle control unit, relays and the like.

With respect now to FIGS. 16-17, vehicle 2 is finished off by floorboard 300, side panel 302, seat side cover 304 and seat front cover 306.Storage pan 308 is positioned over frame 90 and over transverse bar 102(FIG. 10) and includes three separate storage areas, namely storage area310 directly below driver's seat, center storage area 312 accommodatingthe electronic assembly 280, and storage area 314 (FIGS. 12 and 17)positioned below passenger seating area. Panel 320 surrounds theintersection of rear roll cage portion 402 and plate 104 (FIG. 10) and asound/heat shield 330 (FIG. 16) is positioned behind seat 32 and forwardof engine 150 to prevent heat and noise from the engine 150 into theoperator's area.

With reference now to FIGS. 9 and 18, a channel member 350 is positionedover frame tubes 60 from a position from the front 50 of the vehicle toa position extending over truss member 67 defining an opening 352 (FIG.18). The channel member 350 defines an opening or tunnel between thefront of the vehicle to a position under the seats for receiving thedrive shaft that extends from the rear of the vehicle to the front ofthe vehicle for driving a front differential. The channel member 350 iscoupled to the main frame tubes 60, 62 to define a rigid memberresistant to torsion. The top of the channel 350 defines a passageway353 for receiving other essentials extending from the front of thevehicle to the rear of the vehicle, such as a wiring harness (lights,electronic throttle control wiring, etc), cooling tubes, brake lines,etc. As shown best in FIGS. 3 and 18, a shear plate 354 also extendsupwardly from frames tubes 62 to upper frame portion 356 also providedto resist torsion to the vehicle frame 4. Shear plate 354 also allowsfor the mounting of accessories thereto.

With reference now to FIGS. 19-21, the rear utility box 22 is shown ingreater detail. As shown in FIG. 19, the utility box 22 has an undersidesurface 360 which inclines upwardly and forwardly providing a smalldraft angled surface on the inside of the utility box. This provides foreasier dumping of the contents of the utility box, as well as raises theinside surface of the utility box for clearance purposes due to therearwardly adjusted engine 150 and transmission 152. Furthermore asshown in FIG. 21, the side edges of the utility box include a pluralityof molded in slots 370 which extend downwardly through a floor 372 ofthe box, the slots extending outwardly of inwardly molded posts 374(FIG. 20). Tie downs 380 are provided having an upwardly extendingportion 382 for extending through slots 370, a shank portion 384 forextending downwardly through the slot, and a flange portion 386 forpositioning against the post 374. Fasteners may be positioned throughapertures 388 of the tie downs 382 fastening the tie downs to theutility box in a semi-fixed fashion. It should be understood that thetie downs may be positioned in alternate orientations as decided by theowner/user.

With reference now to FIGS. 22-26, the roll cage 50 will be described ingreater detail. As shown, cage 50 includes a front cage portion 400 anda rear cage portion 402. As shown best in FIG. 24, front cage portion400 includes upright portions 404, horizontal portions 406, crossbeam408 and lower crossbeam 410. As defined, front cage portion 400 definessurfaces 412 of uprights 404, surface 414 of crossbeam 408 and surface416 of lower crossbeam 410 all arranged in a plane for receiving anaccessory windshield. In a like manner, surfaces 420 are defined onportions 406 and surface 422 is defined on overhead beam 408 to define aplanar surface for receiving either an accessory overhead roof piece orsee through moon roof. As shown, upright portions 404 include brackets422 for connection to gussets 82 (FIG. 9). Finally, cage portion 400includes rear connectors 424 for connection to rear cage portion 402 asdescribed herein.

As shown best in FIG. 24, rear cage portion 402 includes uprights 430,cross member 432, diagonal braces 434, cross members 436 and 438 andcross member 440 retaining head rests 442. Side supports 450 extendforwardly from uprights 430. Rear portion 402 includes brackets 452 forattachment to upper flange 104 (FIG. 8). As shown best in FIG. 25, theintersection of upright 430 and cross member 432 defines a profile 460for the receipt of connector 424. Thus, the front and rear cage portions400, 402 are easily connectable by way of fasteners 462. As also shownin FIG. 25, cage portion 406 includes an outwardly facing surface or lipat 470 which is planar with a surface 472 on connector 424 and withsurface 474 (FIG. 27) of rear upright 430. This allows for the additionof an accessory door. The exact configuration of the cross section ofcage portion 406 is shown in FIG. 27 which is somewhat hourglass or afigure eight configuration.

With respect now to FIGS. 28-37, the seating assembly of the presentdisclosure will be described in greater detail. With reference first toFIG. 28, the seating assembly 32 is shown in an installed position inthe seat frame 90. As shown, driver's seat 34 includes a seat back 500and a seat bottom 502, passenger seat 36 includes a seat back 504 and aseat bottom 506; and center seat 38 includes a seat back 508 and a seatbottom 510.

As shown best in FIGS. 33, 34 and 36, the front edges of the seatingassembly includes hooks 520 which are pivotally clipped into an opening522 of a bracket 524 (FIG. 29) clipping the seats into the seat frame90. It should be appreciated then that the seat can tip forward towardsthe steering wheel and/or the dash board of the vehicle for removal ofthe seats and for access to the storage bins under the seat.

As shown best in FIGS. 33 and 34, driver's seat 34 and the combinedpassenger seat 36 and center seat 38 are separate assemblies. As shown,the passenger seat 36 and center seat 38 would include a lowerstructural frame 530 upon which the seat bottom would be constructed,and to which hooks 520 would be assembled or integrated.

As shown best in FIGS. 36 and 37, driver's seat 34 includes a lowerslide assembly 540 to which hooks are provided. Seat 34 further includesan adjustment mechanism 542 as well as an inner slide track 544 (FIG.37) allowing sliding movement between a lower track member 550 and anupper track member 552 of track assembly 540. Frame 560 of seat back 500is attached to the lower track assembly 540, and thus when upper trackportion 552 moves relative to lower track portion 550, seat back moveswith seat bottom 502.

While the power source of the present disclosure is shown as acombustion engine, illustratively a combustion engine, the engine couldalso take on the form of a multi-fuel engine capable of utilizingvarious fuels. An exemplary multifuel engine capable of utilizingvarious fuels is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/445,731 filed Jun. 2, 2006, (and counterpart PCT application numberPCT/US07/70220), the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated byreference herein. In another embodiment, the power source could be ahybrid electric engine. In another embodiment, the power source could bean electric engine, where the spacing under the seats is utilized forthe battery packs. An illustrative electric vehicle is shown in any oneof assignee's applications, Ser. No. 12/484,921 filed Jun. 15, 2009 (andcounterpart PCT application number PCT/US2010/38711) or Ser. No.12/816,004 filed Dec. 16, 2010 the subject matter of which isincorporated herein by reference.

The vehicle could also include a range extender of the type disclosed inapplication Ser. No. 12/928,479 filed Dec. 13, 2010 (and counterpart PCTapplication number PCT/US2010/049167).

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design,the present invention may be further modified within the spirit andscope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended tocover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using itsgeneral principles. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractices in the art to which this invention pertains.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A side by side vehicle, comprising: avehicle frame including frame tubes extending generally longitudinally;a vehicle seat frame positioned in a mid portion of the frame, andpositioned at a raised position relative to the frame tubes; side byside seats supported by the seat frame; a powertrain supported by thevehicle frame, the powertrain including an engine and a transmission;and a rear suspension comprising at least one rear alignment arm coupledto each of left and right sides of a rear of the vehicle frame, thealignment arms being coupled to the vehicle frame at front and rearconnection points, wherein a distance between a front right connectionpoint and a front left connection point of the rear suspension isgreater than a distance between a rear right connection point and a rearleft connection point, and the engine and transmission are positionedrearward of the vehicle seat frame and at least one of the rear left andright connection points being longitudinally aligned with a portion ofthe transmission, a portion of the frame extending rearward of the rearconnection points.
 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the connectionpoints of the alignment arms are positioned along lines of rotationrelative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the lines ofrotation are at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis.
 3. Thevehicle of claim 1, wherein the alignment arms are defined by upper andlower alignment arms and a wheel hub connects the two upper and loweralignment arms.
 4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the alignment armsare defined as having generally parallel first and second sides and athird side extending between the first and second sides, with the hubsattached to a front outside corner of the alignment arms.
 5. The vehicleof claim 3, wherein the alignment arms extend outwardly and rearwardlyfrom the frame at an acute angle.
 6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein thehubs are skewed relative to the alignment arms and extend outwardly atan angle transverse to the longitudinal axis.
 7. The vehicle of claim 3,wherein a prop shaft is connected between the hubs and a differential.8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the prop shaft extends rearwardly. 9.The vehicle of claim 8, wherein a shock absorber is coupled to the loweralignment arm.
 10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the shock absorber ispositioned rearward of the prop shaft.
 11. The vehicle of claim 7,wherein a torsion bar is coupled to the lower alignment arm.
 12. Thevehicle of claim 11, wherein the torsion bar comprises a transverse barportion and longitudinal bar portions, and in that the transverse barportion extend rearwardly of the shock absorber and the longitudinal barportions extending forwardly and outside of the shock absorbers.
 13. Thevehicle of claim 12, wherein the torsion bar is coupled to the loweralignment arm.
 14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein a link arm extendsdownwardly from each longitudinal bar portion, and couples to the loweralignment arm.
 15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the link arm and theshock absorber are coupled together at the lower end thereof.
 16. Thevehicle of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the transmission ofthe powertrain is positioned between the front right and left connectionpoints of the alignment arms.
 17. The vehicle of claim 1, furtherincluding a front differential.
 18. A side by side vehicle, comprising:a vehicle frame; a vehicle seat frame coupled to the vehicle frame; apowertrain positioned rearward of the vehicle seat frame and coupled tothe vehicle frame; side-by-side seats supported by the seat frame; and arear suspension comprising at least one rear alignment arm coupled toeach left and right side of a rear of the vehicle frame, the alignmentarms each being coupled to the vehicle frame at front and rearconnection points, wherein a distance between a front right connectionpoint and a front left connection point is greater than a distancebetween a rear right connection point and a rear left connection point,and wherein at least a portion of the powertrain is positioned betweenthe front right and front left connection points of the alignment arms.19. The vehicle of claim 18, further including a tow-hitch mountrearward of the rear connection points.
 20. The vehicle of claim 19,wherein the tow-hitch mount is a squared tube.
 21. The vehicle of claim18, further including a torsion bar arm linking the alignment arms ofthe rear suspension.
 22. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the vehicleseat frame is positioned at a raised position relative to the vehicleframe.
 23. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the vehicle seat frame iscoupled to a longitudinal mid portion of the vehicle frame.